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Balaq
A gaunt and drawn man, wild eyed and oft twitching. Biography The son of Salazor Saan and Kojja, a Pirate Captain that paid him tribute, the result of a season’s romance that ended sourly Salazor would rarely visit his son but was kind enough to acknowledge the boy as his own. Balaq would take after his mother and was raised in the Stepstones and Summer Isles as Kojja’s hunts ranged far. As a boy Balaq began to be afflicted by panic attacks and fits, pressing his mother’s limited patience when she was not off reaving. It was discovered however that for reasons none could explain the boy’s panic attacks occurred rarely when aboard a ship and with a bow in hand the shaking fits would disappear entirely. With an escape from the misery that was his life on land waiting for his mother to return Balaq threw himself into the two pursuits with abandon. From pirates who spent their whole lives at sea he would learn Sailing and from his mother’s Summer Islander crew he would be taught Archery until his fingers bled. He would serve on his mother’s crew until nearly a man grown when she died. Uncertainty would fall on the crew then as to what to do next, one man - a long time companion of his mother would say that Balaq was too young, unfit and unproven to take over as Captain. Balaq opened his throat in the night as he slept and claimed his place as his mother’s successor. He would continue to engage in mid level piracy with his greatest coup being the capture of the favourite son whose father, so desperate to pay his ransom even took out a loan from the Iron Bank. It was in drunk celebration of this event that he met Saererya Saan, together they would prove far more successful with her encouragement and advice he would prove to be a natural Commander. They would engage in a myriad of schemes that Balaq would never had dreamt of on his own, including a ploy with an Ibbense Whaler to defraud Braavosi insurers, on Bloodstone they would swindle a pirate lord out of his hoard, across the length of the coast of Essos they would be pursued by Sellsail Pirate Hunters for two months until finally they trapped the Sellsails against the shallows and burned them to a man. Over the years numerous other Pirate bands paid tribute to them and until they stood strong enough to claim the Stepstones, which Balaq saw as rightfully his (and Saererya’s at it would turn out). They would later suffer somewhat of a break up and Balaq would find resting on his laurels a failed plan as the panic attacks and fits began to return. Timeline 268AA: Born to Salazor and Kojja 280AA: Takes to the sea and archery to help abate his ‘sickness’ 286AA: Kojja dies Balaq claims her ship as his own. 290AA: Meets Saererya and teams up. 296AA: Declares himself King of the Stepstones NPCs Hilmar - Ship Captain Harlos - Negotiator Sweyo - Reaver Chett - Warrior (Two handed weapons) Graz - Scout Category:Stepstones Category:Lyseni Category:Essosi